In a real estate market filled with renovated homes that look remarkably similar, standing out can make a meaningful difference. For real estate broker and developer Athena Brownson, that starts with refusing to create another generic “white box.”

Brownson, a Denver-based real estate broker and developer, has spent more than a decade working with residential buyers and sellers. She has also moved into luxury residential development, where she brings what she has learned from buyers directly into the properties she creates.

Her philosophy is straightforward: a property does not have to be wildly expensive or overly unconventional to be memorable. Sometimes, thoughtful design choices, distinctive materials, quality workmanship, and careful staging can give a home the personality buyers remember.

From Real Estate Broker to Residential Developer

Brownson has been a real estate broker for 13 years and says relationships have been at the center of her business. According to Brownson, approximately 98% of her business comes from past clients or referrals from past clients.

That experience has also influenced the way she approaches development.

Over the last several years, she partnered with her father, a residential real estate developer in Breckenridge, to work on luxury residential projects in the Denver area.

For Brownson, development offers an opportunity to take what she hears from buyers and incorporate those preferences into the homes she creates.

Instead of simply following whatever design formula is currently popular, she looks for ways to create homes that feel distinctive while still appealing to a broad range of potential buyers.

Why Brownson Rejects the Typical “White Box”

One of Brownson’s biggest frustrations is seeing new developments and renovated properties that have little personality.

The basic formula can be tempting for investors: choose safe finishes, use readily available materials, repeat the same color palette, and move on to the next property.

But Brownson believes that approach can cause properties to blend together.

When buyers walk through multiple homes featuring essentially the same finishes and design choices, there may be little that makes one property particularly memorable.

Her goal is different. She wants her properties to be recognizable for their character without becoming so personalized that they appeal only to a narrow group of buyers.

As she explained during the interview, the goal is to create something that is unique and memorable while remaining palatable to a wide demographic.

Character Does Not Have to Mean Overspending

One of the most important points Brownson makes is that creating a distinctive property does not necessarily require dramatically increasing the renovation budget.

Instead, it requires time, creativity, and attention to detail.

Investors can spend heavily on renovations and still end up with a property that looks like every other remodeled home on the market. The difference can come from how materials are selected and how they are used.

Brownson believes investors should look beyond the easiest or most commonly available choices and spend time finding materials and design elements that give the property its own identity.

That distinction matters because the goal is not simply to renovate a house. The goal is to create a product that buyers notice.

A Small Design Decision Can Create a Big Impression

Brownson shared an example from one of her development projects: a kitchen featuring black subway tile that was carried all the way from the countertop to the ceiling instead of stopping at a conventional backsplash height.

It was a relatively straightforward design decision, but it created a visual statement.

That is the type of detail Brownson believes can make a property memorable. Instead of adding complexity everywhere, an investor can identify a few strategic areas where a distinctive choice creates a strong impression.

The result is a home that feels intentional rather than mass-produced.

Make the Property Different Without Making It Difficult to Sell

There is an important balance involved in creating a distinctive property.

A home still needs to appeal to potential buyers.

Brownson is not advocating for making every renovation highly personal or unconventional. Instead, she focuses on creating character while maintaining broad appeal.

That could mean using an unexpected tile, incorporating interesting architectural details, selecting distinctive finishes, or using furnishings that give the property a sense of identity.

The key is to create something different without making the buyer feel like they are inheriting someone else’s personal taste.

This is particularly important for investors because the property ultimately needs to perform in the market.

Why Generic Renovations Can Become a Problem

A standardized renovation strategy can make an investor’s process easier. Buying the same cabinets, paint, flooring, fixtures, and other materials for multiple properties may simplify purchasing and installation.

But there is a potential downside: the properties can begin to look interchangeable.

Brownson argues that investors should not assume the cheapest or easiest formula is automatically the most profitable one.

Market conditions can change. Buyer preferences can change. Financing conditions can change.

If several competing properties offer essentially the same finishes and appearance, an investor may have fewer ways to differentiate their property.

A memorable design can give buyers another reason to pay attention.

Brownson’s Approach to Staging: Look Beyond the Usual Sources

Brownson also brings her eye for uniqueness into staging.

Over the past several years, she has become particularly interested in estate sales, where she searches for furniture and other pieces with character and history.

Rather than relying entirely on the same staging inventory found in countless other homes, she looks for distinctive pieces that can make a property feel more individual.

This approach can also be cost-effective.

Brownson explained that she can often find high-quality furniture for a fraction of its original cost. The benefit is not necessarily spending more; it is investing the time required to find something special.

That extra effort can help the home feel different from the moment buyers walk through the door.

Good Staging Should Help Buyers Remember the Property

Staging is often discussed in terms of making a home look attractive, but Brownson takes a slightly different approach.

For her, staging is another opportunity to reinforce the property’s identity.

A memorable piece of furniture, an unusual design element, or a carefully selected accessory can create a visual moment that sticks with buyers after they leave.

When buyers tour several properties in one day, those details can matter.

The objective is not to fill a house with expensive furniture. It is to create a cohesive environment that helps buyers imagine themselves living there.

Brownson says she puts in the additional time and effort because she believes it can help her clients’ homes, or her own projects, perform better financially.

Workmanship Still Matters

Design alone is not enough.

Brownson also emphasized the importance of finding good workmanship, noting that poor labor can become an expensive lesson for property owners and developers.

A home can have beautiful finishes and thoughtful design, but if the underlying work is poorly executed, the final product will suffer.

For investors, that means creativity should not come at the expense of construction quality.

The strongest projects combine both:

• Thoughtful design
• Quality materials
• Skilled workmanship
• Functional layouts
• Professional staging
• Broad buyer appeal

The goal is to create a property that looks good while also being built to last.

Build for the Buyer, Not Just for the Investor

Brownson’s experience as a broker gives her an additional perspective: she is constantly seeing what buyers want.

That information influences how she develops properties.

Instead of designing exclusively around what is easiest for the developer, she considers the features, finishes, and details that buyers are actually responding to.

This buyer-focused approach can help investors think beyond the immediate renovation.

A property is not simply a project to complete and sell. For the person purchasing it, it could become a long-term home.

That perspective can change the way an investor approaches everything from material selection to staging.

Why Real Estate Investors Need an Investor-Friendly Agent

Brownson’s role as both a broker and developer also gives her insight into the relationship between investors and real estate agents.

Dwan Bent-Twyford emphasized during the conversation that investors should find an agent who understands the investment side of real estate.

Brownson agreed, pointing out that experience is one of the important factors investors should consider when choosing an agent.

The right agent can provide insight throughout the process, from acquisition and renovation to preparing, staging, and ultimately selling the property.

For an investor, that relationship can become especially valuable when the same agent understands the investor’s strategy and can work with them across multiple transactions.

The Value of a Long-Term Real Estate Relationship

Brownson believes choosing an agent should not necessarily be viewed as a one-time transaction.

Instead, investors can benefit from finding a professional they can build a long-term relationship with.

When an investor and agent work together repeatedly, both sides can develop a better understanding of the process, expectations, property types, and market preferences.

Brownson describes this as creating a rhythm and flow that can make future transactions easier.

That relationship can also give an agent a deeper understanding of the investor’s properties and the type of buyer they are trying to attract.

The Bigger Lesson: Don’t Build What Everyone Else Is Building

Athena Brownson’s approach to real estate development comes down to a simple idea: don’t automatically follow the formula just because everyone else is using it.

A generic renovation may be easy to execute, but easy does not always mean memorable.

Investors can differentiate a property by putting more thought into the details, without necessarily spending dramatically more money.

That might mean sourcing a unique material, adding an unexpected design element, finding distinctive staging pieces at an estate sale, or simply taking the time to think about what buyers will experience when they walk through the home.

The objective is not to create something strange for the sake of being different.

It is to create a property that feels intentional.

Build With Intention, Not Just a Formula

For real estate investors and developers, Athena Brownson’s approach offers a simple but important lesson: don’t build another white box just because it is the easiest formula to follow. In a competitive market, a property with thoughtful design, distinctive finishes, quality workmanship, and intentional staging can give buyers something to remember.

Creating a property with character does not necessarily mean spending more money. It can mean taking the time to understand what buyers want, sourcing materials that feel different, and making deliberate design choices that help a home stand apart. The goal is not to make a property unusual for the sake of being different, but to create a home that feels carefully considered and gives buyers a reason to connect with it.

That same mindset, understanding the market, learning the fundamentals, and making informed decisions, is important throughout real estate investing.

Dwanderful is a real estate investing resource created by real estate investor and podcast host Dwan Bent-Twyford. Since understanding financing is an important part of investing, Dwan offers resources to help investors build their knowledge and make more informed decisions.

Her free Real Estate Lingo book explains essential real estate terms, while Five Pillars of Real Estate Investing provides practical knowledge and strategies for building a strong investing foundation. For investors interested in distressed properties, LEVEL 1: Complete Foreclosure Investors’ Choice Program teaches foreclosure investing strategies, while Foreclosure Fortunes helps investors identify foreclosure opportunities and avoid common pitfalls. The Fed Up Program focuses on helping homeowners in financial distress while creating opportunities for investors.

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